AFTER a two-year hiatus, the Manila Domestic Passenger Terminal, otherwise known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 4, is back in operations.
And AirAsia Philippines welcomed this development as it is all set for the restart of its domestic operations at the said passenger terminal. The world’s best low-cost airline sees the terminal’s reopening as an indication of the strong recovery momentum of the travel industry.
With 26 check-in counters and a departure area with a seating capacity of 969 guests, NAIA Terminal 4 officially reopened yesterday, 28 March 2022. Consequently, all AirAsia Philippines domestic flights to and from Manila will operate from hereon at NAIA Terminal 4, while all international flights will remain at NAIA Terminal 3.
Around 235,000 AirAsia Philippines guests are expected to depart and arrive at NAIA T4 in the first two months of the resumption of its operations. It also anticipates this figure to increase given the Holy Week and summer exodus which starts next week.
“The return of domestic operations to NAIA Terminal 4 is a strategic move in managing the expected influx of passengers at Terminal 3 in the coming months. This will optimize overall airline operations from check-in to boarding, helping airlines to significantly improve on-time performance,” AirAsia Philippines Chief Executive Officer Ricky Isla tells FrontpagePH.com
AirAsia Philippines’ transfer to NAIA T4 is expected to benefit its guests as check-in procedures are made easier, utilizing 12 check-in counters and four AirAsia check-in kiosks to perform contactless transactions by scanning QR codes of flight bookings from mobile devices. Guests only need to check-in online to generate a code, which will activate the kiosks automatically. Guests are also no longer required to use aero bridges or undergo bus transfers to board the aircraft.
“We consider foot traffic and increased passenger volume as happy problems for us in the airline industry. We’ve been preparing for this for the past months. We encourage our guests to check their booking itinerary to avoid confusion. Our domestic flights may be operating from a different terminal but we apply the same stringent measures to ensure guest safety and convenience with our multi-layered approaches to safety,” Isla added.
Foot traffic of passengers at T4 is expected to benefit not only the local industries of their destination, but also small and medium enterprises around T4 such as restaurants, convenience stores and travel and tour agencies.